A few minutes before 7 p.m., students wearing identical navy blue caps and gowns started their procession into Keeny Stadium. After walking across the track, they entered the football field through the north end zone, crossed midfield and fanned into assigned socially distanced seats.

            Approximately one hour later, 243 seniors officially became graduates of Upper Perkiomen High School. For a class that had grown accustomed to adversity, the 2021 Commencement Ceremony on June 10 felt unusually normal.

            Top achieving students addressed the audience. Graduates crossed a stage, received their diplomas and heard the cheers of friends and family.

            Superintendent Allyn Roche credited the class for the resiliency and agility it displayed during its final two years in high school due to COVID-19. He said they were littered with challenges and changes, including three first days of school: full virtual, hybrid and full in-person.

            According to the superintendent, the resiliency shown by the students helped prepare them for the next steps in life. Roche said that fortitude needs to be celebrated.

            "No one could have predicted what your last two years of high school would look like," said Roche, who addressed the students from a podium set up at the 23-yard line on the far end of the field. "But what is clearly evident to everyone is that you, the Class of 2021, were ready for every challenge and situation that was thrown at you."

            Class President Ethan Wambold praised his peers for their efforts to reach this point. He also referenced the class' perseverance, reminding the audience it was forced to deal with incidents of mold, building fires and a bed bug infestation during their four years in high school.

            Wambold thanked the school for providing the intellectual nourishment necessary for succeeding later in life. He implored his classmates not to forget the lessons they learned in school.

            "If applied correctly, the mentors met, subjects learned, and friends made in these halls undoubtedly can be the building blocks for your life," Wambold said.

            Valedictorian Lucas Carpenter built on Wambold's comments, telling his classmates to use the lessons they have learned dealing with adversity in their futures. He cited Mahatma Gandhi to stress the importance of living in the present.

            "The future depends on what we do in the present," Carpenter said, quoting Gandhi.

            Salutatorian Sarah Halteman described the futures of the graduating seniors as daunting. She also challenged her classmates to do something great with their lives.

            "This concept of greatness does not necessarily mean working at NASA or owning a mansion with a ten-car garage," Halteman said. "Instead, greatness is defined by your actions and how you positively impact the world and those around you."

            Further, Halteman argued that the key to success is kindness. She cited the success of previous graduates as evidence that her class has learned those skills.

            "I am a firm believer in the stance that the kindness and positivity that former UPHS graduates have displayed are more valuable, more powerful, and make you more wealthy than any amount of money ever can."

            According to high school Principal Rob Carpenter, 74 percent of the class will be continuing its education beyond high school. He told the audience that 58 percent of students are enrolled in four-, five- or six-year baccalaureate or master degree programs.

            Sixteen percent of students are enrolled in a two-year associate degree and/or technical program. According to the principal, 14 percent of students will be entering the workforce, and five students will be entering military service.

            Of the 54 seniors who attended the Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center, 36 received a Certificate of Completion and 18 received a Certificate of Participation. Twenty-one awards were given to 19 students, according to the principal. He also said that 49 students received 58 scholarships donated by local companies, agencies and families, totaling $45,500, at the Senior Awards Ceremony.